My brother, Mark, is a lawyer with an insatiable appetite for luxury. He loves flaunting his latest watches and cars, always eager to show off. I keep things low-key, running a small business and married to John, a master electrician who actually makes triple what I do. But we’re not about flaunting our wealth.

At our Mother’s Day get-together, I gave Mom a spa certificate, something thoughtful and appreciated. Mark, of course, had to outdo everyone. He pulled out a flashy necklace for her, turning to my husband with a smug look. “Bet you’ve never seen numbers like these on a price tag, huh? Not something you can afford on an electrician’s salary.

The room fell silent. John just smiled politely, but I was fuming inside. My brother needed a reality check, and I had a plan. However, karma was already on the job.

Just as I was about to put my plan into action, there was a huge commotion from the front of the house. We all ran out and gasped as we saw karma doing its thing.

Mark’s Porsche was engulfed in flames. Apparently, a faulty wiring issue had caused the car to catch fire. My brother was frantically trying to figure out what to do, but it was too late. The car was a total loss.

John calmly stepped forward. “Need some help with that wiring?” he asked, his tone gentle but firm. Mark’s face turned red, a mix of embarrassment and frustration.

“Yeah, maybe,” Mark muttered, looking down.

As the fire department arrived and the flames were finally put out, Mark’s fiancée looked shaken. “I thought you said this car was top of the line,” she whispered.

“It is! It was!” Mark stammered. But the damage was done. His pride and joy, his status symbol, was gone in a puff of smoke.

Later, as we sat down to eat, the atmosphere was noticeably different. Mark was unusually quiet, humbled by the day’s events. John, ever the gentleman, didn’t bring it up again. But I saw the glances he received from the family — glances of newfound respect. After dinner, Mom pulled me aside. “You know, sometimes life has a way of teaching lessons we can’t,” she said with a knowing smile.

From that day on, Mark’s attitude shifted. He still loved his luxuries, but the blatant bragging and condescension lessened. He even started showing a bit more respect towards John, asking him about his work and genuinely listening to his answers. Karma had done what I had planned to do, and it did it better than I ever could. Sometimes, the universe has a way of balancing things out, teaching lessons in the most unexpected ways. And as for John and me, we continued living our lives, grateful for what we had — and for the small, sweet moments of justice that life occasionally serves.